After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis. Israel
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair." Israel
Israeli political parties: Who needs primaries? Instead of working to preserve the parties' democratic workings, Tzipi Livni, Yair Lapid and Moshe Kahlon opted to gain sole control. Israel
Turkey’s high court could pull rug from under AKP Turkey's Constitutional Court is to rule on an electoral threshold issue that some believe could end the Justice and Development Party's 12-year rule. Turkey
Livni, Herzog worry Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that Labor Party Chairman Isaac Herzog and former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will infiltrate "his” diplomatic-defense arena and convince voters that the world is opposed specifically to the right wing's settlement policy, not that “the whole world is against us.” Israel
Obama: Diplomacy with Iran has restrained nuclear program US President Barack Obama says that since the start of the nuclear talks with Iran, it is "probably the first year-and-a-half in which Iran has not advanced its nuclear program in the last decade." Iran
Iran media slams domestic critics of nuclear program Domestic critics of Iran's nuclear program have been chastised in a number of conservative Iranian media outlets. Iran
EU decision boosts Russian, UN diplomacy on Syria Russia, the United Nations and Iran lead diplomatic initiative in Syria; Iran and Turkey discuss counterterrorism; al-Qaeda-linked group advances in Syria; Aleppo’s radicalization; Hamas seeks to rebuild ties with Iran. Israel
US, Europe try to preserve Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promotes his UN bid, the US and Europe stick to the well-known old formula: Anti-terror cooperation in the region depends on progress on the Palestinian statehood issue. Palestine
Can Israel, Palestine exist in one space? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Dan Goldenblatt, co-CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, presents his vision of two states in one space, arguing that this proposed solution could be accepted by both the Israeli right and the Palestinians. Palestine
Hamas scores diplomatic victory in Europe Senior Hamas officials run a department in Gaza whose sole mission is to have the movement removed from terror lists. Palestine
Critics condemn AKP's tough police overhaul proposals For some, the AKP-drafted internal security legislation is needed to preserve Turkey's public order; for others it is a chaos package that will allow arbitrary action by the state. Turkey
Syrian authorities halt ferries to Turkey It’s become even harder for Syrians to flee the war-ravaged country after Syrian authorities stopped the ferry service between Tartus and the Turkish port city of Mersin. Syria
Why won't Hamas label Islamic State as terrorists? Hamas officials say the word “terrorism” is a politicized Western term and there is no international consensus, which is why it won’t label the Islamic State a terrorist group. Palestine
